For years, software designed specifically for businesses (and sometimes consumers) has changed the modern landscape as we know it.
Regardless of industry, companies must strive to stay one step ahead of the competition to stay relevant. In today’s market, this means finding and utilizing the latest and most influential technology available.
What is B2B Software?
B2B software describes the technology sold by businesses to businesses to streamline their operations. B2B software can help sell products, manage teams, run payroll, communicate internally, launch Marketing campaigns, and much more.
What is SaaS?
SaaS, or software as a service, is a way for third parties to offer their apps and services to online businesses. SaaS technology allows employees and users to access the technology from any device with internet access.
B2B SaaS refers to the businesses that sell their
Some B2B software solutions intersect with other business models, including B2C (business to consumer). These overlaps offer services that can be used by individuals and organizations, like Slack for communication and PayPal for sending or receiving payments.
Benefits of Using B2B Software
In today’s business landscape, most companies are streamlining their operations and leaning on technology to improve various facets of the business to bridge the gap.
Here are some benefits of using B2B software for any company, regardless of size, industry, or audience.
Accessibility
The beauty of SaaS solutions lies in their accessibility and convenience. No matter where you run your business, you can access a SaaS platform anywhere you have the internet.
Accessibility makes it possible to manage teams across multiple time zones simply by logging in to the platform. In turn, productivity and efficiency will increase, making companies more successful and profitable.
Add-ons & personalization
Looking for
Customer focus
Some companies pay for a professional services team member who can support their users. SaaS businesses often staff entire teams whose sole focus is customer support for this reason. Customer issues can be resolved quickly whether you open a ticket online or contact your customer support representative.
Cost-savings
As mentioned, most SaaS companies are
In doing so, budgets aren’t drained by a substantial upfront investment, making it easier to justify the financial investment to key stakeholders. As you require more from the platform, you can scale up in usage, saving money in the long term.
Security
For companies that handle sensitive customer data, security is of the utmost importance for the safety and privacy of their clients. Being
Credible SaaS companies deploy advanced software infrastructure, protocols, and encryption methods to avoid data breaches, phishing, and
Flexibility
Both small and large B2B companies require a certain level of flexibility in the software they use daily. Fortunately, SaaS platforms offer impressive flexibility and robust customization options.
Businesses can utilize various APIs and integrations to connect the platform to other systems they have in place, like a CRM, website, or marketing automation tools.
Challenges of Using B2B Software
While the benefits and advantages of using B2B software are apparent, there are some common challenges that many businesses face when deploying and using the software. Here are a few of those challenges.
Onboarding
Onboarding is critical for retention and total adaption of the platform, regardless of the organization’s size and how many users will be accessing the service. Most SaaS providers offer assisted onboarding and setup (sometimes for an additional fee) and/or a customer support contact to guide businesses as they get started.
Proper training and onboarding are essential to ensure the platform’s value and longevity in any organization.
Pricing model
As more and more SaaS providers adopt the
Integrations
With multiple software solutions being used within the same organization, some issues may slip through the cracks. Designing a cohesive system that integrates all the necessary features and functionality from various platforms is a massive undertaking for some businesses.
Many SaaS providers offer seamless integrations and APIs with popular business systems to simplify business processes.
B2B SaaS Software Examples
You may be surprised at the number of B2B SaaS software companies in the market today! Here are some of the best examples of software and services for B2B companies and how to implement these services into your own business.
B2B marketing software
Many B2B software apps and services facilitate various marketing tasks and functionality.
Companies like Hubspot, Marketo, and Sprout Social are all great examples of B2B marketing automation software. Using these services, businesses can run email marketing campaigns, manage social media, and SEO to reach a wider audience.
Brands like Mailchimp and Brevo support companies with B2B email marketing software to send tailored messages to customers and leads throughout the buying process. Unbounce is a popular B2B lead generation software tool that allows businesses to create powerful lead gen campaigns through data enrichment and lead scoring.
For workflow automation, companies like Zapier and IFTTT offer B2B integration software with over 5,000 apps to increase team productivity and efficiency.
Lastly, what’s a business without its CRM? Brands like Salesforce, Zoho, Hubspot, and FreshWorks all offer businesses powerful features related to lead gen, customer management, email, and much more.
Business management & analytics
SaaS solutions for business management include a wide range of tools, from data collection and visualization to identifying trends within their market. BetterCloud and Zomo are strong leaders in this field.
Ecommerce software
With over 26.5 million global ecommerce sites in operation daily, the software industry has a huge opportunity to provide support through technology. Ecommerce platforms and software that support businesses have endless growth potential and can serve many purposes for small and large businesses in any industry.
At the top of the list is Ecwid, a powerful B2B ecommerce software platform that empowers B2B and B2C companies to sell anywhere online.
Managing customer data, inventory management, order tracking, fulfillment, and more requires the support of B2B order management software like Veeqo, OrderHive, and Linnworks.
Building and retaining customer loyalty takes effort and incentive, and that’s where B2B loyalty program software solutions come in. Companies like Kangaroo and GrowSurf help brands establish loyalty through rewards programs, referral programs, and incentives.
You can’t run an effective ecommerce website without multiple payment gateways for transactions. B2B payment software tools like Square, PayPal, and Stripe make processing payments simple, quick and secure for any sized business.
Productivity & team tools
Outside of tools for building customer relationships and selling, many B2B software apps are used internally. These include team communication via Slack, one of the most popular B2B communication software tools to Trello, a powerful B2B project management software that supports tasks and campaigns from launch to completion.
Many teams deploy B2B customer support software like Zendesk for ticket management and to handle all customer service tasks.
Final Thoughts on B2B Software
B2B software continues to evolve and change as the needs of businesses and their customers do. The growth opportunities are rampant when utilizing this kind of software for your business. Whether you’re looking to improve productivity, drive sales, power new marketing campaigns, or anything else, B2B software can help.
Are you interested in launching a B2B company? Ecwid is here to help. Access our library of resources, tools, and free articles to start selling online today.
